Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

दक्षिणाग्नौ द्रुतं गत्वा कुरु होमं यथोदितम् । येन त्वं मुच्यसे पापान्न चेद्व्यर्थो भविष्यति

Transliteration

dakṣiṇāgnau drutaṃ gatvā kuru homaṃ yathoditam | yena tvaṃ mucyase pāpānna cedvyartho bhaviṣyati

Translation

Hâte-toi d’aller au feu du sud et accomplis le homa exactement comme il est prescrit ; ainsi tu seras délivré des péchés—sinon, tout sera vain.

Word by Word

• दक्षिणाग्नौ: in the southern fire (sacrificial fire)
• दक्षिणाग्नौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणाग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) = दक्षिण + अग्नि
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (दक्षिणः अग्निः)

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) ‘having gone’

• कुरु: do, perform
• कुरु: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• होमम्: homa, oblation-rite
• होमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• यथोदितम्: as prescribed/said
• यथोदितम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + उदित (प्रातिपदिक; √वद्/√उद्-इ ‘to say/declare’ in sense ‘stated’)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषणार्थ (adverbial) ‘as stated’

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (प्रयोगानुसार), तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; सम्बन्धार्थे ‘by which’

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• मुच्यसे: are freed
• मुच्यसे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• पापान्: from sins
• पापान्: Apadana (Source/Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (बहुवचनप्रयोगे पुंवत्), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• व्यर्थः: fruitless, in vain
• व्यर्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied ‘he/it’)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred enclosure with three fires; the southern fire is kindled, the officiant hastens with ladle and offerings, while a guiding maiden points insistently toward the dakṣiṇāgni.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Dakṣiṇāgni
• homa
• pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires timely, precise action—when injunction is followed, sin is purified; negligence makes effort fruitless.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the consecrated sacrificial fires within the tīrtha-framed rite; no separate tīrtha name is specified in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform homa at the Dakṣiṇāgni (southern fire) exactly according to the stated procedure for pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin).